I just read another great article by Pepe Escobar, "Is Brazil the New United States?" written in 9/29, 2010.
Pepe Escobar is a Brazilian journalist who has lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in London since the mid-1980s. When not on the road he lives between São Paulo, Paris and Bangkok.
A very gifted and sharp minded who speaks with a smile on his face.
Read the article to understand Brazil.
I took this comment from a Brazilian to show how some Brazilian people think about... our country:
Olga Pagu
03:39 PM on 09/29/2010
I don't believe Brazil wants to become the new United States. At least not the present-day United States. Although there are a lot o people sympathetic to the United States in Brazil, most Brazilians look at Europe or Japan as real symbols of development.
Most Brazilians are peaceful and do their best to avoid conflicts, they would never give any support fo an agressive foreign policy. Besides, fair diplomacy is one of Brazil's main characteristics since it was and Empire in the 19th century. I haven't heard of a country of continental size that has expanded its territory without making wars or revolutions, like Brazil did.
We are not interested in other countrie's resources, we're not interested in telling other people what they should do, we are not interested in meddling in other peoples' affairs.
I live in Brazil and I really don't see people wishing us to be "superpowers". Brazilians just want to live and let live. We just want to be able to determine our future as WE (not others) wish and have our sovereign decisions respected.
I don't care if we will be on top of China or not. I just want good public education, universal health care, no more slums, and less corruption. Let the world do their wars, we just want "order and progress". Oh... but I do think Brazil should have atomic weapons. Just in case...
I agree Olga Pagu! Let live.
"I think you’ll find a new depth and fresh insights into every subject Escobar touches upon. For me it’s like having a curtain drawn back before my eyes. It makes me realize just how timid and limited is the reporting done on the same subjects by the mainstream media."
Mike Booth
"An extreme traveler, Pepe’s nose for news has taken him toall parts of the globe. He was in Afghanistan and interviewed the military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, a couple of weeks before his assassination (Masoud: From warrior to statesman, Sep 11, 2001). Two weeks before September 11, 2001, while Pepe was in the tribal areas of Pakistan, ATol published his prophetic piece, Get Osama! Now! Or else … (Aug 30, 2001). Pepe was one of the first journalists to reach Kabul after the Taliban’s retreat, and more recently he has explored and reported from Iraq, Iran, Central Asia, US and China …" (continue reading)
World Citizenship Org
Thank you Pepe for being so bright and representing real Brazilian journalism.